The Gift Of Life
by Saint Raven
Summary: A very dark 'fic I wrote a while ago. Kari gets sick and T.K. must face a horrible decision.
1. I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing

The Gift of Life

Part 1

I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing

Song By Areosmith  
Story By Saint Raven

"Are you alright, Kari?" T.K. asked nervously. "I'm fine, T.K." Kari said sweetly.

"Don't worry; I'm just here for a checkup after all."

"Are you sure? You haven't been feeling right lately..."

"YES, T.K.-"

The door in front of them opened and the doctor came out.

"Kamiya, Hikari?" Dr. Fusaki asked.

"Right here."

"Come on, time for your checkup..."

_I could stay awake just to hear you breathing  
Watch you smile while you are sleeping  
While you're far away and dreaming  
I could spend my life in this sweet surrender  
I could stay lost in this moment forever  
Every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure_

Dr. Fusaki raced out of the examination room, calling to the nurse, "Get me a wheelchair!"

T.K. jumped to his feet. "What's wrong?"

"Something very bad."

Dr. Fusaki turned to his nurse. "Get Hikari's parents here now!" 

T.K. paled. Something very bad must be wrong with Kari!

_Don't wanna close my eyes  
Don't wanna fall asleep  
'Coz I'd miss you baby  
And I don't wanna miss a thing  
'Coz even when I dream of you  
The sweetest dream would never do  
I'd still miss you baby  
And I don't wanna miss a thing_

"What's wrong with our daughter, Dr. Fusaki?" Mrs. Kamiya said with trembling voice.

The doctor shook his head sadly. "It's very bad, Mrs. Kamiya. In doing the tests today, we discovered and confirmed that Kari has acute leukemia, a deadly type of cancer. We are giving her at the most four months to live."

Beside them, Tai broke down crying, as did T.K. standing outside the door in the hallway.

_Laying close to you  
Feeling your heart beating  
And I'm wondering what you're dreaming  
Wondering if it's me you're seeing  
Then I kiss your eyes  
And thank God we're together  
I just want to stay with you in this moment forever  
Forever and ever_

"Hi Kari." T.K. said as he entered Kari's hospital room. She looked so well and beautiful, relaxing in her bed.

"Did they tell you about what I have, T.K.?" Kari asked shakily.

"No, but I was listening and I heard." T.K. said quietly.

Kari suddenly broke into tears. T.K. hurried forward and held her in his arms.

"I don't want to die, Takeru." Kari sobbed into his chest. "Why does life suck so much?"

"I don't know, Hikari." T.K. said honestly. "But I'll help you fight this thing for as long as you want to."

"Thank you, T.K. I love you."

"I love you too, Kari, and I don't plan on losing you any time soon."

_Don't wanna close my eyes  
Don't wanna fall asleep  
'Coz I'd miss you baby  
And I don't wanna miss a thing  
'Coz even when I dream of you  
The sweetest dream would never do I'd still miss you baby  
And I don't wanna miss a thing_

Later that night, Tai walked into Kari's room to find her fast asleep, T.K. holding her in his arms, whispering to her. Tai crept up towards T.K. in the dim light, listening to what T.K. was saying

"...you can't die, Kari. I won't be able to take it. I love you too much to let you go without a fight."

Tai blinked. Maybe I should go-

"I'm gonna help you get through this, Kari. You'll live a long wonderful life, and when the time comes, I'll kneel down in front of you with a ring, propose, and you'll say "yes" and jump into my arms. And we'll be happy forever."

Tai froze. T.K. laid Kari back down on her bed and left the room, Tai following him.

_I don't wanna miss one smile  
I don't wanna miss one kiss  
I just wanna be with you  
Right here with you just like this  
I just wanna hold you close  
Feel your heart so close to mine  
And just stay here in this moment for all the rest of time  
Baby, baby_

"You really meant all that, didn't you, Takeru?"

T.K. turned around to see Tai behind him.

"Of course I did. I love her and I'll help her survive the cancer." 

Tai groaned sadly.

"T.K., the doctors say very few people actually can live through this type of cancer. They're only giving Kari three or four months to live-" 

"SHUT UP!"

Tai was shocked when T.K. screamed at him.

"YOU SHUT UP, TAICHI KAMIYA! I LOVE HER AND I'M NOT GONING TO LOSE HER TO SOME DISEASE!"

Then, T.K. turned and raced out of the hospital as the doors were being closed, for visiting hours were over. Tai's wrong. He HAS to be wrong! I can't lose Kari...

_Don't wanna close my eyes  
Don't wanna fall asleep  
'Coz I'd miss you baby  
And I don't wanna miss a thing  
'Coz even when I dream of you  
The sweetest dream would never do  
I'd still miss you baby  
And I don't wanna miss a thing_

To be continued...


	2. Down With The Sickness

The Gift of Life

Part 2

Down With the Sickness

Song By Disturbed  
Story By Saint Raven

_(Do you feel that?)  
(Oh shit)  
Ooh ah ah ah ah!  
Ooh ah ah ah ah!  
Drowning deep in my sea of loathing  
Broken your servant I kneel  
(Will you give it to me?)  
It seems what's left of my human side  
Is slowly changing . . . in me  
(Will you give it to me?)_

"How are you feeling this morning, Kari?" T.K. asked slowly.

He had to ask slowly to make sure Kari understood everything he was saying. The cancer was worse than ever and Kari was looking terrible. Her hair had already fallen out and she was as pale as CiCi or possibly even Jaina. Her body seemed to be wasting away in front of his eyes. It hurt him emotionally just to see her like this.

"I'm fine, T.K. Thanks for coming to see me again today."

"Anytime or anything for you, Kari, you know that."

"I know."

They chatted for a while before T.K. had to go home for dinner. Leaning over her bed, he kissed her goodnight.

"I love you, Kari. I'm gonna help you fight this for as long as it takes. See you tomorrow."

T.K. left, not seeing the look of pain in Kari's eyes.

_Looking at my own reflection  
When suddenly it changes  
Violently it changes  
Oh no, There is no turning back now  
You've woken up the demon . . . in me_

"How was Kari today, honey?" Ms. Takashi asked her youngest son as the family sat down to dinner. It wasn't as crowded as usual. Chris, Jacen, and Zeke were at a keg party (of course Ms. Takashi didn't know that), Matt was eating with the Tekanis, and Jaina and Theresa were having a girls-only slumber party with Mimi, Yolei, and Sora. This left her, CiCi, and T.K. to eat in the dining room at their apartment.

"Actually, Mom, she looked better than usual today. Better than I've seen her in a while."

"He's right, Nancy. I visited Kari a couple of days ago and she seems great," CiCi concurred.

"That's great, T.K. That's really great."

_Get up, come on get down with the sickness  
Get up, come on get down with the sickness  
Get up, come on get down with the sickness  
Open up your hate, and let it flow into me_

_Get up, come on get down with the sickness  
You mother get up  
Come on get down with the sickness  
You fucker get up  
Come on get down with the sickness  
Madness is the gift, that has been given to me_

"Nancy, I need to talk to you." CiCi said, walking into the kitchen as Ms. Takashi cleaned the dinner plates.

"Sure, honey, what's up?"

"I lied at dinner."

Nancy blinked. "Huh?"

"Kari isn't doing good at all."

Ms. Takashi frowned. "She isn't? What do you mean?"

CiCi took a deep breath. "I think that Kari is really hurting, and is in a lot of pain. I believe the only reason she's working so hard to stay alive is not to upset T.K., because she loves him so much." 

Ms. Takashi gasped. "You're right, CiCi. I need to talk to T.K."

_I can see inside you, the sickness is rising  
Don't try to deny what you feel  
(Will you give it to me?)  
It seems that all that was good has died  
And is decaying in me  
(Will you give it to me?)_

Nancy knocked on the door to the boys' room.

"Come on in."

She opened the door, the stench of alcohol reeking the room. She scowled at the wasted forms of the three passed-out boys, flat unconscious on their beds. They'd get what was coming to them in the morning, along with three major headaches and a lot of vomit. Matt wasn't home yet. She turned to T.K.

"Takeru, can I talk to you?"

T.K. frowned. His mom only called him by his real name when she was serious. "Of course you can, Mom."

Nancy sat down on the edge of his bed. "It's about Kari, T.K."

T.K. leapt to his feet. "What's wrong? What happened?"

Nancy forced him to sit down again. "Nothing's happened. Let me explain. I visited Kari the other day and spoke with her parents and Taichi."

This was a lie, of course. CiCi had wanted Nancy to say that her revelation was Nancy's to avoid any confrontation with T.K.

"Her family agrees with me on the fact that she is, in fact, not getting any better, but worse. She can't hold on much longer, Takeru. She's in a lot of pain. The only reason that's she's trying so very hard to keep going is for you. If you love her, you should tell her that if she wants to die, then she should be able to."

T.K. cried out, "But I don't want to lose her."

Nancy hugged her little boy fiercely. "You'll never truly lose her, Takeru. And one day you'll both be together again. Someday."

And with that, she left her youngest son to decide on possibly the most terrible thing he'd ever have to think about in his entire life.

_It seems you're having some trouble  
In dealing with these changes  
Living with these changes  
Oh no, the world is a scary place  
Now that you've woken up the demon . . . in me_

The next day, T.K. walked into Kari's room again. Only this time, he saw what was really happening. Various machines were pumping life into Kari's almost-dead body. She looked awful. T.K. felt ashamed at what he had been unknowingly forcing her to do to stay alive.

"Kari I need to say something to you."

Kari turned her head towards him.

"Do you want to die?"

Kari started in her bed. "No, T.K., I—"

"Please, Kari, listen. My mom talked to me last night. I know you're in terrible pain. If you want to end the pain, and just die and go on to a better place than this hospital, then, please, do so. I will always love you, Hikari Kamiya, and no matter what, eventually we'll be together again forever."

He leaned over and kissed Kari on the lips.

"I love you forever, Hikari Kamiya."

And with that, T.K. left the hospital room.

_Get up, come on get down with the sickness  
Get up, come on get down with the sickness  
Get up, come on get down with the sickness  
Open up your hate, and let it flow into me_

_Get up, come on get down with the sickness  
You mother get up  
Come on get down with the sickness  
You fucker get up  
Come on get down with the sickness  
Madness is the gift, that has been given to me_

Later that night, Tai called T.K. In a halting voice, he told T.K. that Kari had died, after whispering "I love you forever also, Takeru Takashi."

_Get up, come on get down with the sickness  
Get up, come on get down with the sickness  
Get up, come on get down with the sickness  
Open up your hate, and let it flow into me_

_Get up, come on get down with the sickness  
You mother get up  
Come on get down with the sickness  
You fucker get up  
Come on get down with the sickness  
Mad-ness has now come over me!_

To be concluded...


	3. When You Believe

The Gift of Life

Part 3

When You Believe

Song By Mariah Carrey  
Story By Saint Raven

One Year Later...

_Many nights we pray  
With no proof anyone could hear  
And our hearts a hopeful song  
We barely understood  
Now we are not afraid  
Although we know there's much to fear  
We were moving mountains long  
Before we know we could_

T.K. stood in front of the place which he hated the most in the entire world.

Kari's grave. It had been a year . . . an entire year. Exactly to this date. He had lost his one and only love exactly one year ago.

And he had been in pain since.

_There can be miracles  
When you believe  
Though hope is frail  
It's hard to kill  
Who knows what miracles  
You can achieve  
When you believe  
Somehow you will  
You will when you believe_

He had hoped that his family and friends would have been there for him; to help him deal with this terrible tragedy. But it was not meant to be.

T.K. looked to the right of Kari's grave, to her brother's tombstone. Tai had committed suicide shortly after Kari died; throwing himself from the Kamiya's apartment balcony. And to the right of Tai's grave...

T.K. turned even more, to the right of Tai's grave, to the sight that hurt him just as much as Kari's.

With trembling fingers, he caressed the words he had read and re-read over and over again, hoping, just as he did each time he visited, that they would be different...

Sadly, just like every other visit, he was sorely disappointed.

Yamato and Jesanae Ishida

February 18, 1986 - April 20, 2013

February 11, 1986 - April 20, 2013

May we never forget this couple, whose lives were taken so unfairly from this world. May they find eternal happiness with God and his angels in Heaven.

_In this time of fear  
When prayer so often proves in vain  
Hope seems like the summer birds  
Too swiftly flown away  
And now I am standing here  
My heart's so full I can't explain  
Seeking faith and speaking words  
I never thought I'd say_

A car accident, T.K. remembered. A drunk driver. They didn't stand a chance.

T.K. reached down to place the bouquet of flowers of his brother- and sister-in-law's grave. He repeated this to Tai's grave and to Kari's.

_There can be miracles  
When you believe (When you believe)  
Though hope is frail  
It's hard to kill  
Who knows what miracles  
You can achieve (You can achieve)  
When you believe  
Somehow you will  
You will when you believe_

"Takeru!" a voice called up to him. "It's time to go home now."

Home... That place isn't home... But I guess I should, or the doctor'll get angry... I don't like getting her angry... She's really nice to me, after all...

T.K. turned and walked down the hill, slower than he should because of the shackles that kept his legs close together. His hands, also, were handcuffed in front of him.

The doctor smiled kindly at him. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, ma'am." T.K. said politely.

They got into the doctor's car, with her assistant riding shotgun. She smiled at him.

"Dr. Katsuragi?"

"Yes, Takeru?"

"Would it be alright if I read a little when we get back?"

"Of course, Takeru."

"Thank you."

_They don't always happen when you ask  
And it's easy to give in to your fear  
But when you're blinded by your pain  
Can't see your way safe through the rain  
Thought of a still resilient voice  
Says love is very near_

T.K. sighed. He really missed seeing the rest of his family and friends. After his third suicide attempt, his Mom and Dad had committed him to a special home for disturbed people.

T.K. had no grudge against them.

In fact, truth be told, he was thankful.

If he had been left alone, he probably would be dead by now.

T.K. had wanted to stay in the custody of his brother Christochi and his new sister-in-law Jaina, but with their first child on the way, everyone had decided that it would be too much for the young couple. 

The Ishidas had fought for him all the way, but it was him, T.K., who finally said, to the shock of all, that he wanted to go to the hospital. He didn't want to burden his last brother and his wife.

They visited him at least twice a week, anyway. He was lucky to have people like them who cared about him.

His Mom visited at least three times a week. Dad died of a heart attack last year. He missed his Dad.

"Actually, Takeru, there's someone special waiting for you at the hospital." 

"Who?" 

"Let's just say, he's been hanging with Mickey Mouse and sleeping with the bats."

T.K. was confused for a moment, then got it. He clapped his hands together happily. "Alright! Patamon's there."

Dr. Katsuragi and her assistant exchanged pleased, yet sad, looks. The assistant turned back to the notebook she was writing in.

Patient Name: Takashi, Takeru  
Age: 24  
Condition: Mental Instability, Definite Suicidal Behavior Patterns  
Length of treatment: 11 Months  
Status: Unchanged

_There can be miracles (miracles)  
When you believe (When you believe)  
Though hope is frail  
It's hard to kill  
Who knows what miracles  
You can achieve (You can achieve)  
When you believe  
Somehow you will  
You will when you believe_

The End


End file.
